Over The Edge
by Jill2
Summary: Set within BtVS season 5 episode "Smashed". B/Aus, WARNING: Dark!, NOT FOR SPIKE-FANS!!! Be warned!
1. Chapter 1: A Vampire's Hanging From the ...

I know there are still a few stories waiting to be finished, but after I thought I would drop this fandom completely, this came as some kind of surprise. Suddenly the inspiration was back, even though it's not for the stories mentioned before. Instead this popped out. Tell me what you think!

**FIC: Over The Edge (1/1)   
**Author: Jill  
Disclaimer: let me check ... nope, still don't own them. Sigh! I'm not making any money off this. I've taken several lines from the Buffy-season-six-episode "Smashed". The episode was written by Drew Z. Greenberg.  
Rating: R  
Pairing: B/A(us) – kind of, and the usual pairings from the show   
Distribution: my site (http://www.never-ending-love.de), Land of Denial, if you have any of my stories, take it; anybody else tell me where it goes  
Timeline: set within the BtVS episode "Smashed"

Spoilers: the whole B/A-canon to be sure you should have seen season 6/3 or at least read the   
transcripts (http://www.psyche.kn-bremen.de), or you won't know what they're   
talking about.   
Feedback: oh yes, please  
Dedication: this goes to all the B/A babblers. Their comments gave me the idea for this! And I thought I'd lost all my inspiration to write B/A. And yeah, this is B/Aus, but still …  
  
  
Author's Note: At the babbleboard a bunch of people were discussing what would've happened if Angelus had shown up in Season 6. And here's my take on it. Enjoy.

  
  
  
  
There was something comforting about the night, Buffy thought, walking down the dark alley. She'd gone back to her slaying routine over the last two weeks. And she had managed to keep her head above water so far. Spike was scaring her, though. There was something in his eyes, she couldn't quite grasp and if she was honest with herself she'd admit he was stalking her. 

It wasn't that she was completely uncomfortable with his presence. Strangely enough she could talk to him in a way she couldn't talk to anybody else. Willow was lost in her own world and in her own problems, Xander would never understand what was going on, and Dawn was the last person she would want to talk about her problems. Nope there was nobody. Or rather, none of her friends. But there was Spike. Spike who always listened, Spike who seemed to understand what was going on. 

  
Hearing a noise behind her she whirled around, but the alley seemed empty, and with a frown she continued walking. Spike kept coming on strong, and she didn't know what to do. God, what was she going to do? Giles had left her. Told her it was for her own good. Gee, that speech sounded awfully familiar. Was something wrong with her that the men in her life kept leaving her?  
  
She almost jumped out of her skin, when Spike suddenly materialised in front of her. She'd been so preoccupied thinking about the mess her life was right now, she hadn't even felt him coming.  
  
His eyes were narrowed angrily, his pose threatening, "Slayer," he hissed.  
  
Buffy sighed, annoyed, "And so my night is now complete."  
  
"You never showed," he accused her.  
  
Slightly shaking her head, she passed him, "Sorry," she told him over her shoulder, "Little busy actually *doing* stuff."  
  
"You shouldn't be so flip, luv," Spike replied, falling into step beside her.  
  
Faking a yawn, Buffy kept on walking, "What are you gonna do, walk behind me to death?" She put up a cool front, but she sensed there was something different in him. A dangerous vibe, she hadn't felt for a long time. In fact she hadn't felt it since she'd fought him in Sunnydale high. What the hell was happening?  
  
"I'm just saying things might be a little different." Increasing his pace he came to stand in front of her, blocking her path. "You oughta be careful."  
  
Letting out an exaggerated breath, Buffy shook her head, "Enough." She moved to walk around him, but again he blocked her path. Not quite believing what was going on she smiled, "Get out of my way."  
  
He raised a brow, "Or what?"  
  
She shrugged, and punched him square across the face.   
  
Reeling slightly, Spike caught himself. For a moment he stared at her, then hit her right back. "Oh, the pain," he mocked, grinning evilly, "The pain. Is gone!"  
  
She only stared at him, alarm bells ringing inside her head. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. He knew her too well. For a swift moment she thought back about the time when Angelus had stalked her.   
  
"Guess what I found out," he said, tilting his head, "Looks like I'm not as toothless as you thought, sweetheart."  
  
"How?," she asked, not able to hide her panic.  
  
He grinned, "Don't you get it? Don't you see? *You* came back wrong."  
  
She could do nothing but continue to stare at him.  
  
  
*  
  
Shaking off her confusion, Buffy stalked forward, punching Spike. He staggered, then laughed, and she punched him again. He staggered for the second time, but when she was about to hit him again, he grabbed her arm, hit her back and she fell back into a fence.   
  
Turning back, she came face to face with him, "It's a trick," she shouted. "You did something to the chip, it's a trick."  
  
"It's not a trick," he smirked, "It's not me. It's you. Just you. In fact, that's the funny part," he punched her again, "Cause you're the one that's changed." And he punched her again. That's why it doesn't hurt me."  
  
Once again he punched her, but this time she blocked it, shoved him back.   
  
He grinned, "Came back a little less human than you were, huh?"  
  
"No," she shook her head, not wanting to believe his biting words, but afraid deep down, that they might be true. "You're wrong." She kicked him hard, and he flew into the opposite wall, but immediately bounced back, coming onto her.  
  
"Then how come you're so spooked, luv? And why can I," he smirked again, punched her, "do that?"  
  
Slowly straightening she looked at him, panting heavily. "You're wrong," she told him, punching him again, and again, shoving him towards a doorway, she followed him up the stairs, grabbed him and together they crashed through a door.  
  
*

  
She felt herself flying backward, not sure her nose wasn't broken. God, what was happening here? She didn't understand any of this. Could Spike be right? Wasn't she human after all? And if she wasn't human, what was she? God, what had Willow's spell done to her? 

  
Despite the shock she got up, and seeing Spike advance again, she punched him twice, then shoved him away, making him stumble against the fridge. Then kicking him, he flew back into the living-room.   
  
She followed him, watching him getting up, but realised to late that he was attacking her again, punching her into the face with both feet.  
  
"Oh, poor little girl," he taunted. "She doesn't fit in anywhere. She's got no one to love."  
  
Grabbing his collar she shoved him towards the staircase, "Me? I'm lost?," she shouted, glad her voice didn't tremble, "Look at you, you idiot! Poor Spikey. Can't be a human, can't be a vampire. Where the hell do you fit in?" And where did she, she asked herself silently. What was she now? Was she still human? Or not? And God, what's happening to her? What sort of power does Spike have over me? Or did she really want him? Felt herself drawn to him?  
  
He took a swing at her, but she ducked, punched him into the stomach, grabbed him and threw him across the room. He smashed into the fireplace, and she walked to him, "Your job is to kill the Slayer. But all you can do is follow me around making moon eyes."   
  
"I'm in love with you," he shouted.  
  
Taking another step towards him, she shook her head, "You're in love with pain. Admit it. You like me ... because you enjoy getting beat down. So really, who's screwed up?"  
  
"Hello! Vampire!" He tried to hit her again, but she blocked it and punched him instead. Instead of falling backward, his hand reached out, pulling her closer, "I'm supposed to be trading on the dark side," he told her, then threw her against the wall. Picking her up again, he threw her across the room. Coming to stand over her, he grabbed her, "What's your excuse?," he asked.  
  
Shoving him away, Buffy put a hand over his face and he flew backwards against the opposite wall. When she saw him stagger to his feet, she followed him.  
  
*  
  
"I was planning on hurting you," Spike smirked, "Much."  
  
"You haven't even come close to hurting me," she shot back.  
  
"Afraid to give me the chance?"  
  
Breaking his hold, Buffy grabbed him and shoved him against the wall.   
  
He smirked again, "You afraid, I'm gonna-"  
  
And then she kissed him. Urgently she demanded entrance to his mouth, images of Angel flickering through her mind. His eyes, his face, his lips. Were those his lips she was tasting right now? They were cold. But they didn't taste familiar. Spike! God, she was kissing Spike.   
  
She tried to shove him away, but her body didn't respond to her mind. Another image rushed before her inner eye. Darkness. Light. Heaven. Voices and peace. Gone. All gone now. 

And she was kissing Spike. Damn, hadn't she every right to do so, she asked herself, moaning when Spike shoved her against another wall, his tongue probing deeply into her mouth. Hadn't they ripped her from Heaven without a second thought, selfishly wanting her back, not thinking for a moment that she was happier where she was?  
  
So why shouldn't she sleep with Spike? Maybe he could make the pain go away. Maybe he could make her feel alive again. Maybe this was exactly what she wanted. What she needed.  
  
She felt his hand moving over her breasts, arched against him. Those were cold hands, Angel's hands. No, no, not Angel's hands. Things were so confusing in her head. Where was Angel? Did he even care what she did right now? Would it hurt him? Or had he already forgotten about her. And why was she thinking about him anyway. He wasn't in her life anymore. He wasn't important anymore. 

  
She felt Spike's mouth wandering down her throat, kissing her between her breasts and moaned again. Maybe it wasn't really her, he was kissing. Spike could hit her, didn't that mean it wasn't the real Buffy doing the things she was doing right now? She felt Spike's hands grabbing the collar of her shirt, felt it tear and ... nothing.  
  
Panting heavily, she opened her eyes, realising she was suddenly free. Blinking several times, she tried to shake off the dizziness in her head. Where was Spike? 

  
She heard a cracking sound behind her, and her head snapped around, and her mouth dropped open, finding a certain bleached blond vampire flying through the air, then suddenly hanging from a the ceiling, a rope around his neck, his body twisted in a horrible dance. Her eyes widening in shock, Buffy couldn't move, her mind reeling from the recent events. What was happening here? 

It was like watching a medieval execution, a hanging. Spike was still dancing in the air, the rope lying tightly around his neck, his mouth wide open, no words were coming out, but he was still alive. No, not alive. She shook her head. He was dead already. He didn't need air. He wouldn't die from a hanging. His eyes were huge, almost bulging out of his head, staring in surprise not at her, but at a point behind her. 

And that's when she felt a presence. Like cold fingers crawling up her spine.   
  
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.   
  
Buffy felt her heart speeding up.  
  
Oh God.  
  
Again her eyes flew to Spike, still dancing in mid-air, his face twisted into a terrible grimace, his blue eyes dark from pupils dilated to the limit. He was shouting at her but no sound came from his constricted throat. 

"He isn't going to die, you know."

It was like cold claws reaching for her heart. 

"Angel." 

She slowly turned around, and found the vampire standing only a few feet behind her, clad all in black, rings gleaming on his fingers, a Claddagh amongst them, heart pointing out. One of his brows rose when their eyes met, his' dark, and bottomless, and a smirk appeared on his lips. 

"Not quite," he said simply. "But close." He cocked his head to one side, "Or maybe not. It's probably a matter of interpretation."

Horror spread through her bones, making her shiver even though it wasn't cold outside. For a moment she thought she would faint. "Wh- what happened?"

He shrugged, before he sighed deeply. "Your precious Angel got it on with Darla, and she presented him with a baby. Seems being a father all of a sudden was a little too much for his shaky soul." He pretended to study his nails for a moment, before he looked back at her, "Not that I'm complaining. It's good to be back again."

A baby? Darla? Buffy wasn't able to comprehend. She felt herself starting to shake. Damn. The last she needed right now was for her show him a weakness. How it had happened wasn't important anyway. All that mattered was that Angelus was standing in front of her. Playing it cool, she willed her heart to slow, her breathing to even. All the Slayer training had to be worth something. Rising a brow, she scrutinized him, "And so you decided to come here? Still not over me, lover?"

He gazed at her steadily, not a muscle moving on his body. "There's still the fact that your little friend did a little spell on me." He grinned evilly, "I was actually thinking of paying her a visit first. You know, I could've given you her heart as a special present. But then I saw the whelp stalking you." His voice rising so Spike would hear it, he went on, "He always liked to trespass. He obviously forgot that I don't take it kindly."

A croak came from the ceiling. Then without warning Angelus turned to the rope still holding the vampire, and cut it. With a loud crash Spike landed on the ground, and Buffy wondered shortly how many bones in his body might be broken. Not that she really cared. She had far more dangerous problems to deal with than Spike's broken limbs. On the other hand, he had helped her once already, and maybe –

"If I remember correctly," Angelus said, slowly walking over to the huddled form on the ground, "there was a little incident when I tried to wake Acathla. Not to forget the hot pokers. It wasn't really me being tortured of course, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it." He stopped and looked down on the younger vampire, "You always were a lying bastard, Spike. But betraying Dru? I might have underestimated you after all."

"You always did," the blond vampire replied, his voice nothing more than a whisper. 

Angelus seemed to consider it. "Naw," he said simply, laughing a little. Then snorting in disgust, he shook his head, "And now you're after the Slayer. Heard you got yourself a chip." He shook his head again, this time in mock pity, "I suppose that's what happens to you with a sire like Dru." 

"One day I'm going to kill you," Spike hissed, his voice gaining volume. "And I'm going to enjoy it."

"Yeah, you probably would." A slow, vicious smile crept up the handsome face, and Buffy shivered. She gasped when without warning a wooden object appeared in Angelus' hand and only a moment later only a pile of dust were the only remains of a formerly blond vampire. 

"You … you killed him." She hated the fact that her voice quivering, that it sounded as if she actually cared what happened to Spike. Okay, so maybe she would miss him – a little. But she couldn't dwell on this now. Angelus was a far more dangerous matter at hand, and Angelus was thriving on fear. She couldn't allow herself to appear weak. Not if she wanted to leave the building alive.

Wanted to be alive. Did she really want to be alive? She shook her head, tried to pull herself together again. This was not the time to give up. If she was dead, Sunnydale, and her friends, would be helpless, confronting the most vicious vampire she'd ever met. 

"Awwww," Angelus turned to her, his eyes cold and empty. "Save your tears. He was dead for a long time. It's not as if anyone's gonna miss him."

No, she would certainly not miss him. But to see her one possible ally gone wasn't a very comforting feeling either. True, she was really stronger than Angelus, but right now she wasn't so sure she could take him. Plus there was still the fact that a part of her simply refused to kill him. Killing Angelus would also mean killing Angel. 

And she would not be able to do that. Never again.

"Or are you going to tell me that you felt something for the pitiful creature?" Angelus gave the pile of dust a last look before he swept his foot through it, and a heavy sigh followed, "It was time someone finally took pity on him, and ended his sorry existence. Poor neutered Spike.."

Buffy laughed dryly, "Don't tell me you really care what happened to him."

"Of course not," he replied on a grin. "Might have been fun though – watching him, trying to bite. Or panting after your heels." At her sharp intake of breath, he explained, "Dru told me all about it. God, it's so pathetic. But he's never been anything but, if you really think about it." 

"He was not panting-", Buffy tried to defend herself, but his laughter interrupted her words.

"Of course he was. He was never anything but a pathetic little whelp." Suddenly he cocked his head, "Oh, don't tell me you're actually considering it."

Her eyes narrowed, "Considering – what?" Of course she knew what he was talking about. Hadn't she just thought about having sex with Spike only a few minutes ago? 

Of course she couldn't fool him for a second and he laughed again. "You were! Christ, you were thinking … Doesn't anyone have standards anymore these days?" He was leaning against the wall, ankles and arms crossed, and obviously enjoying himself tremendously. Bastard. No, no, Buffy scolded herself. Don't let him do this to you. Or you'll never stand a chance. 

"What? No comments?" He cocked one eyebrow, and watched her. "Heard you were dead for a while. How did you like it?"

She laughed at that, harshly, angrily, "Don't tell me you're interested in the answer."

"Why not? It's always good to widen your horizon, you know. I read a lot, too. Poems. I even ate a few who wrote them." He chuckled. Then laughed. That high pitched, evil laugh she wouldn't forget as long as she lived. 

Which, given the situation she was currently in, might not be all that long. She had to think. And fast. Slowly, careful not to rouse his suspicion, she let her eyes wander over the exits of the building. Too bad it was night. During day she wouldn't have had a problem escaping. And then, home and safe for a day, she and her friends would have enough time to plot a strategy. Unfortunately she seemed out of luck tonight.

"So," he turned away, big strides carrying him through the old building, the old floors cracking dangerously with each step, "tell me." Again he turned, this time facing her again, "Did you have a good time while floating in the ether?"

Trying not to be mesmerized by the sheer dominance of his presence, Buffy lifted her head, "It wasn't bad."

He raised a brow, "Really? You liked being tortured by demons?"

This time she laughed. "You don't really think I went to a demon's dimension, do you?"

The moment she saw something flicker through his eyes, she knew she'd made a big mistake. Damn. He hadn't know she went to Heaven. Double damn. 

"Hmmm … so you did go to Heaven, huh? Does that mean there's actually one?" Again he crossed ankles and arms, presenting the picture of complete relaxation. But Buffy wasn't fooled. She knew every fibre in his body was tense, ready to strike when needed. She's fought him before and barely survived it. She knew that as a Slayer she had improved, that she was even stronger physically, than she'd been then. But she had no idea how to look into those empty, evil eyes and stand it. The mere thought had her guts clench painfully. 

All she could do was to play it cool. "Why are you interested?," she asked. "It's not as if you're ever going to go there."

His face fell, "No, probably not." And instantly turned into a grin, "But I suppose I'm going to survive it after all." Again his head tilted to the left, and putting a thoughtful finger over his lips, he seemed to contemplate something, before he suddenly smiled, "The question is, however, are you?"

"Am I what?" she asked, steeling herself against him.

"Going to survive, of course. Or did you think I just came here to play?"

… to be continued

If you want that is. Aside from a little ficlet, this is the first B/Aus story I'm writing. So, are you interested in more, or is it so bad, you rather want me drop it? I'd really like to know. Thanks for taking the time to read. Please send feedback to Connemara.Scarlets@t-online.de or leave a review.


	2. Chapter 2: Waking Up With A Headache Isn...

Here we go, Part 2 all done. Enjoy! Again the warning – this is going to be dark! And I can't stress it enough. It's not going to be like any other fic I've written so far.

**FIC: Over The Edge (2/?)   
**Author: Jill  
Disclaimer: let me check ... nope, still don't own them. Sigh! I'm not making any money off this. I've taken several lines from the Buffy-season-six-episode "Smashed". The episode was written by Drew Z. Greenberg.  
Rating: R  
Pairing: B/A(us) – kind of, and the usual pairings from the show   
Distribution: my site (http://www.never-ending-love.de), Land of Denial, if you have any of my stories, take it; anybody else tell me where it goes  
Timeline: set within the BtVS episode "Smashed"

Spoilers: the whole B/A-canon to be sure you should have seen season 6/3 or at least read the   
transcripts (http://www.psyche.kn-bremen.de), or you won't know what they're   
talking about.   
Feedback: oh yes, please  
Dedication: this goes to all the B/A babblers. Their comments gave me the idea for this! And I thought I'd lost all my inspiration to write B/A. And yeah, this is B/Aus, but still …

"She should be back by now, shouldn't she?"

Willow looked up at Dawn who was sitting on the edge of the sofa, her forehead creased into a worried frown. Exchanging a glance with Xander, she sighed, "Slaying isn't exactly something you can plan, you know."

"I know that," Dawn replied sullenly. "But it's all she's talking about lately. Even Spike said-"

"What did Spike say?" Xander's voice was a little too sharp, and Willow raised an inquiring eyebrow at him.

The teenager shrugged, "Nothing special. Just … things."

"Things?" Willow tired to keep her voice even and friendly. Dawn was a little touchy where the blond vampire was concerned, and the redhead had the distinct feeling that she had to tread cautiously now. Plus, even though she felt there were more important things to worry about, she hadn't missed that Dawn felt neglected by her big sister. Somehow the teenager had obviously expected for Buffy to easily slip into the role of a mother. And even though Buffy tried her best, she was far too young, and still far too shaken by the most recent events, to even remotely fill out the voice Joyce death had left

The Slayer's sister shrugged again, then pouted a little, "He isn't really talking to me anymore. Since Buffy's back, it's only 'Buffy this' and 'Buffy that'.

Feeling alarm bells ring in her head, her mind wandering back to a time when presents had shown up at Buffy's doorstep, until the Buffybot had finally made an appearance, Willow looked at Xander again. He didn't seem any more pleased. Just what they needed, the witch thought. More problems. As if her trouble with Tara wasn't enough. And her magic. It was becoming more and more difficult to control. And now this. Was Spike stalking Buffy again? 

"So he's talking about Buffy?" Xander leaned forward, his eyes narrowed slightly. 

"All the time," Dawn confirmed, her left hand playing with the hem of her shirt. "I mean, it's not actually news that he's in love with her-"

"What?" Xander was up on his feet in a flash. "No, you've got that all wrong. He's not in love with her. He might be obsessed, but we're talking about a demon here."

"Spike isn't like other vampires. He's got a chip," the teenager insisted, her eyes defiant. Uh-oh. The alarm bells became louder. Yes, Willow had known about the fascination the blond vampire held for the teenager, but now she wasn't so sure it was all there was. Dawn was, after all, Buffy's sister. And the witch could still remember a time when a certain dark haired vampire had been the blonde's whole world.

"Whoa," Willow held up a hand. "Dawn. Spike is still a killer. He's only tamed because he can't harm humans. But he hasn't changed. Don't delude yourself."

"He … he saved my life," the girl argued, her eyes flashing angrily. "He helped defeating Glory."

"Yeah, because he was trying to save his own sorry ass and to get into Buffy's pants in the process. But that's got nothing to do with love. Willow's right, he is a demon. Demon's don't feel love the way we do."

"But they do," Anya piped up for the first time. She'd been sitting quietly next to her fiancée, but now she felt inclined to participate. Demons were, after all, her field of expertise. 

"There, she said it, too." Dawn gave Xander an 'I-told-you-so' look. "And she should know."

Getting rapidly fed up with the discussion, Willow sighed loudly. "Okay. So vampires can love. Maybe." She lifted her hands, put them down again. "I still don't believe it. But it's not really important right now. Spike is still dangerous. And we should never forget that."

Clearly not believing the witch, Dawn turned her sullen face towards the window, staring into the night. "She said she'd be back in a couple of hours. It's been five by now."

"You think we should go and look for her?" Xander gazed at Willow.

The redhead gnawed at her lower lip. "She seems okay. She should do fine on her own, but if you think…" She wasn't all too eager to go out, especially when it might end in her using magic again. What if it went out of control, what if she was sucked in by one of her spells?

"I say we wait another hour. Then we go and look."

Willow nodded, but inwardly she hoped that they wouldn't have to, that Buffy would be back by then.

***

Angelus smirked when the Slayer's eyes widened at his last comment. Stupid bint. Did she really think he'd come to Sunnydale for some stupid mind games? He'd done that before, and seen how well that one had played out. He had ended up with a sword sticking from his chest, and Acathla sucking him into a portal. Which probably wouldn't have been that bad, but unfortunately Buffy and her little friends had returned the soul to the body, and so instead of becoming a ruler thanks to Acathla's power, the guy down in the demon's dimension had taken one look at his soul and decided that he was just fresh meet, free for them to use. 

Wagging his brows, he laughed, "What? Surprised?"

He could hear her heart racing in her chest, but she'd managed to pull herself together again, and on the outside she looked cool and completely in control. "Surprised? You can't surprise me. I know you."

"You do?" He tilted his head to one side, then laughed again. "I think you have not the slightest idea who I am. Just because you know Angel-"

"No," her voice was sad, "I don't know Angel. Not anymore."

"That's right," he winked at her. "He left you, didn't he?" He saw her flinch and delight flooded his gut. This was going to be so good. And he hadn't even started showing his surprises yet. "Because of his precious soul. God, he's so pathetic."

"He's a good man. He fights for the good cause-"

"Yeah. Yeah. Spare me the details. I know them. I've been there, remember?" He smirked, "The downside of being me is that while the soul is present I have to sit there, listening to all the bullshit he rambles day in day out. Sometimes I get a headache you wouldn't believe."

Giving an incredulous headshake, she snorted, "Geez – I feel so sorry for you."

God, she was a tough little thing, this pretty blond Slayer. And infuriating sometimes. Angelus could actually understand why Soulboy was so drawn to her. Not that he'd ever get all the pathetic love-stuff, but she was a hot little thing. What they could do together in a bed. The sheets would probably burn. She was the Slayer after all, and now that she wasn't a virgin anymore, they might actually have some fun for a change. Her stamina had to be almost endless. To bad he had to kill her. But maybe they could have some fun on the way. 

Feeling almost exhilarated by the thought, his eyes fell on the traces of dust still visible on the ground. Spike. He'd been a thorn in his side for far too long. It was a good feeling having removed it permanently. "So," he turned his gaze back on Buffy. She looked relaxed now, but he knew from experience that he had to be careful. She'd defeated him once, thanks to his old pal Spike, who fortunately wouldn't be a problem this time, but he also knew that she had to be even stronger, more experienced. "Now that we've exchanged some pleasantries, why don't we get to the good stuff?"

This time it was Buffy who cocked her head, mild interest showing in her eyes. If her heart wouldn't have been beating a mile a minute, he would've almost bought her act. "And what would that be?"

Letting the demon emerge on his features he was right in front of her in a flash, grinning through prolonged canines, "The fighting of course," he told her, and delivered the first blow to her face without warning.

***

"W-wesley?"

The voice was so frightened he had a hard time recognizing it at all. Of course it could've also been the baseball-sized lump on his head that made comprehension a little difficult. On the other hand, the fact that he felt the pain searing through his skull also made it pretty clear that he was still alive. That alone was a miracle he could hardly believe. 

"W-wesley?"

"Fred?" His voice came out as a groan, and he had to hold onto his head as it vibrated through it. He wouldn't have been surprised if it'd explode any moment now. But somehow it served them right. They'd gone into this like bloody amateurs. 

"Y-yes," the woman's frightened voice sounded through the darkness. "Wesley are you alright?"

"Apart from the feeling that my head's going to explode, I'm fine, thanks," he replied dryly, then winced again. He was sure he had a concussion. The blow had been hard enough for it. "What about you?"

"I'm f-fine. Just sh-shaken."

No kidding. She sounded even worse than when they'd found her in Pylea. But this was not the time to dwell on it. There were a lot more pressing matters at hand. "Do you have any idea where we are?" Even though he was pretty sure his eyes were open, he couldn't see a damn thing. 

"The basement.," Fred said, and a moment later Wesley felt a touch on his arm. A hand. Fred's hand.

He reached over and covered hit. It was ice cold. "The basement of the Hyperion?" It was pretty obvious, but he wanted to be sure. 

"Yeah," she confirmed. "They locked us up."

"I'm surprised he didn't kill us," he told her honestly. And he was. But then, so it seemed, Angelus' mind had been otherwise engaged. Suddenly wide awake, he patted over himself, then sighed when he felt the cell phone was gone from his pocket. He should've known of course. Angelus might be a cocky bastard, but he was far from being stupid. "Do you have a phone?" he asked the woman by his side, knowing beforehand what the answer would be. Fred wasn't quite comfortable being back on earth yet, and cell phones were still a foreign concept to her. 

"No," she replied miserably. Wesley frowned. Had that been a suppressed sob? "Fred?"

She sniffled in the darkness, her hand on his arm tightening. "I think … I th-think G-gun is dead."

Wesley closed his eyes, accepting it. He could remember seeing Angelus sink his fangs into the man's neck. He hadn't seen Gunn's dead body, but it was probably a safe bet. "I know," he patted her hand again, then closed his fingers around hers and squeezed them gently. 

"I … I can't believe Angel did that."

"It wasn't Angel," he told her, keeping his voice soft. "Angel is gone. His soul is gone. This is a demon. He only looks like Angel."

"B-but I saw his demon," she argued, "in its purest form. Remember – Pylea?"

He did. He also remembered Angel fighting the demon and winning. But this was not Pylea. Angel had no way of fighting the demon here, no way of fighting a stupid loophole in his curse. And his friends had been too careless to even bother fixing it. Damn. Maybe there was a way. But it was too late now. Too late for Gunn. To late for a lot of things. Too late for – "The baby!" he exclaimed suddenly. "What happened to the baby?"

"I don't know," Fred replied. "I didn't see him before they carried us down here."

Wesley's forehead turned into an irritated frown. "They? You keep saying they all the time. Who is they?"

She was silent for a long time, before she said hesitantly. "There are things … Wesley, you were unconscious and … You're not going to like it."

He let his head sink back against the wall behind his back. So he was not going to like it? They were caught in a basement, and an insane killer was on the loose. What could be worse than that? "Go on, tell me," he encouraged her. "I'm not going to faint."

She clutched to his arm, and started to speak.

***

They were panting heavily now. At least Buffy was. Angelus was doing the panting more out of habit than forced by necessity. If he closed his mouth right now, and didn't take another breath, he could just go on fighting. He grinned at the thought. And she was sweating. It was such a human thing to sweat. And icky. He couldn't remember his own sweat. Vampires didn't transpire. And he usually found it repulsing. But not in Buffy. Sweat on the Slayer was a major turn-on for him, judging from the hard-on he was starting to feel painfully in his suddenly tight leather pants. 

"Feeling a little less cocky now?" she asked, grinning at him. 

God, what a grin. She was simply magnificent, her face gleaming in the moonlight that was shining on her face, her cheeks flushed, the eyes dark with pupils dilated to the limit. She was in full fight mode and Angelus found her irresistible. He could no longer hear if the rapid beating of her heard was a result of fear or exertion, but it didn't matter anyway. He was enjoying himself tremendously. The pain she'd inflicted on his body with her murderous blows – she'd indeed become a lot stronger – was only adding to his pleasure. He'd always liked pain. It hadn't changed. 

He returned her grin, "Enjoying yourself, are you? Nothing hurts?"

"Not that I would think a moment you're actually interested in my welfare, but … No, nothing really hurts. There's a lot more you have to do to really hurt me. Better ones than you have tried before."

"Like Glory?" he asked, circling her with predatory steps. 

"Now she was strong. But look what happened to her. In the end she didn't stand a chance."

"Well, you ended up dead," he shot back, grinning. "I'm aiming from the same by the way."

She didn't seem impressed, "You're welcome to try. There are a few varieties of death I haven't tried yet. Should be interesting."

Almost something like pride shot through him. Truly magnificent. A worthy opponent. Too bad he couldn't let her live. It might have been fun to keep her around for a while. Unfortunately his plans didn't include her. Right now, however, it was too early to go for the kill. There were a few things he needed her for first. And that meant taking her captive. Alive.

"As much as I like to play with you," he said casually, nodding to a point behind her back, "but the night is short and there are things I've gotta do."

"Really?" She winked at him, "Well, then, maybe you should try and get me. Because you're not leaving the house as long as I'm here."

"That's where you're wrong," he said, and then watched her crumple to an unconscious heap on the floor. He barely spared her a glance, before he looked at the person standing on the other side of Slayer. "Chain her up. And do it well. Then get her to the place we found before." He turned to the door, "I need to take care of a certain witch." He glanced over his shoulder, "We don't want her to interfere, do we?"

"No, certainly not," the other person agreed, then laughed. "It'll be fun keeping her company."

Angelus stopped in mid-stride, not liking the sound of it. "Don't hurt her – much," he warned.

The other person pouted, "But-"

"No buts," he raised a finger. "She's mine. Don't ever forget that."

"You're no fun."

"We'll get to the fun." He gave her a grin and blew her a kiss. "Later." Then he turned and left, whistling slightly to himself. Willow, he thought, it's past time we met.

… to be continued

Still liking it? So, don't be shy and tell me. Please send feedback to Connemara.Scarlets@t-online.de


	3. Chapter 3: The Witch's Girlfriend Has Sh...

Here we go. Thanks for all the great feedback! It's much appreciated. 

Enjoy the next part.****

**FIC: Over The Edge (3/?)   
**Author: Jill  
Disclaimer: let me check ... nope, still don't own them. Sigh! I'm not making any money off this. I've taken several lines from the Buffy-season-six-episode "Smashed". The episode was written by Drew Z. Greenberg.  
Rating: R  
Pairing: B/A(us) – kind of, and the usual pairings from the show   
Distribution: my site (http://www.never-ending-love.de), Land of Denial, if you have any of my stories, take it; anybody else tell me where it goes  
Timeline: set within the BtVS episode "Smashed"

Spoilers: the whole B/A-canon to be sure you should have seen season 6/3 or at least read the   
transcripts (http://www.psyche.kn-bremen.de), or you won't know what they're   
talking about.   
Feedback: oh yes, please  
Dedication: this goes to all the B/A babblers. Their comments gave me the idea for this! And I thought I'd lost all my inspiration to write B/A. And yeah, this is B/Aus, but still …

"We have to find a name for you. We can hardly go on calling you baby-Angel. It's a stupid name to begin with." Lilah shook her head at the sleeping infant in her office, and almost unconsciously started humming a lullaby she still remembered from a time when she'd still been innocent. 

"Maybe you've missed your calling." 

She sighed inwardly before she turned to the door where she found Linwood standing, watching her intently. She gave him a dry look, "I wouldn't bet on it, if I was you."

Linwood crossed his arms in front of his chest, " You still didn't tell me where you found him."

"I told you-" she started, but he shook his head.

"Yeah, I've listened to that story before. I just have a hard time believing that a creature as vicious as Angelus would just forget the baby in the lobby. If our information about him is not way off, he should've killed it instantly."

"Well, he didn't," she replied, letting her annoyance show. "Besides, why do you care how it happened. Isn't it more important that we have him now?"

"True," Linwood gave the cradle a passing glance. "I never liked children. Too messy. Too loud."

One of her brows rose, "You have some of your own."

He shrugged, "It's good for the image, what can I say." Letting his eyes wander over the surface of Lilah's desk, he asked, "So, do we know where Angelus went?"

"That wasn't really a question, was it?" Linwood might be an idiot most of the time, but he certainly wasn't stupid. 

"No, probably not," he agreed. "I want him back here. In L.A. Now that he's finally in the picture I don't like the idea of him going on his own rampage."

Lilah gave him a pitiful look. "You might decide to go through his files once again. Angelus isn't exactly a team player. He's going to do what he wants to do. And if that's a rampage, he's going to have it." That was the one thing she was hundred percent certain of. Angelus would never be part of their team, or whatever you wanted to call what they were. Maybe they would eventually find common interests, but studying his file had taught her not to get her hopes up too high. Angelus was vicious and dangerous, and couldn't be trusted in any way. Whoever made the mistake, could end up dead very easily. 

"I don't want him hurt. He's too important to us, we can't lose him."

As if she didn't know that. The partners were hardly talking of anything else. "Sure," she agreed, wearily running a hand through her hair. She was exhausted. Taking care of a baby was more exhausting than anything she'd ever done before. It was fun, too, in a very annoying sort of way. 

Linwood gave Lilah a last glance, then he reached for the door, "Well, make sure not to lose the baby, too." Almost out of the door, he added, "Or it may prove fatal for you."

She narrowed her eyes, tapping a thoughtful forefinger against her lips. Linwood was getting more and more annoying. Now that she'd gotten rid of Lindsay, Linwood was proving to be even more of a bother. She took a deep breath and walked over to the cradle. Angel's son was sleeping peacefully, his lips slightly pursed, the cheeks a little flushed. He wasn't a particularly beautiful baby, but then, she had to admit, he was the only baby she'd ever seen up close. 

Slowly she turned away and looked out of the window. Beautiful or not, the baby was her chance to play in the premier league. No way she would allow Linwood or Angelus to fuck this up for her.

***

"Wakey, wakey."

Cordelia opened her eyes on a groan, but kept herself from rolling them. She had a feeling that her head wouldn't take too kindly to that kind of movement right now. It was pounding heavily, even though Cordelia was sure she hadn't touched a drop of alcohol. And where the hell did the annoying voice come from?

"Ah. Finally you're awake. You have a pretty bruise, you know."

Oh yes, she remembered the voice, and it sent cold shivers down her spine, when slowly her memory started to return. Angel had turned into Angelus. And the demon had killed Gunn, then dropped his lifeless body without a second glance. Cordelia suppressed a sob, and concentrated on locating the owner of the voice. Finding out what was going on as soon as possible could be the difference between surviving or ending up dead.

Taking a deep breath, to keep her voice from quivering, she asked, "Drusilla?"

"Yes, dear," the vampire replied, and the seer turned her head slowly to the right where she found the undead woman sitting in a corner, her red gown gleaming in the light of the fire someone had obviously lit. Her dark hair was falling over her shoulders in waves, the same way Cordelia remembered, while the bottomless eyes were directed at her. There was no emotion in them, and in the semi-darkness she couldn't even see the madness shining from them. 

"You know," the seer said, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. She was currently lying on a cold, uneven surface, hands and feet bound. "If you could just cut me lose, it would be a lot more cosy. We could have a real girl's night."

"You're funny," Drusilla giggled, a high pitched sound, almost bordering on hysterics. Under different circumstances Cordelia might have found it amusing, as it was, it only made her nauseous. "Do you think I'm stupid?" Drusilla leaned slightly forward, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "Daddy would be so angry. And we don't want that, do we?"

"No, we don't want that," Cordelia agreed, not sure being angry or not made a real difference where Angelus was concerned. "Where did he go?" she asked, looking around. 

Drusilla's gaze moved to Cordelia's left, and when the seer's did the same, they fell on something that looked very much like the entrance to a cave, she realised with a frown. But where there caves in L.A.?

"Where are we?" 

"Don't you feel it?" Drusilla started to hum, "It's in the air. The power. The evil. It's like nothing else."

"We're in Sunnydale?" So Angelus hadn't lost any time going after Buffy. Cordelia had no idea what had happened to Wes and Fred. She could only hope they were still alive, and if they were, that there would be a telephone close by. As much as Cordelia hated to admit it, the only hope they had against a killer like Angel's alter ego was a certain blond Slayer. And a little head up would certainly give her an advantage. Buffy had defeated Angelus once already. She could certainly do it again. And maybe, just maybe, she, Cordelia, would survive the little adventure, too.

"He took all my dolls way, did you know?"

This time the seer rolled his eyes before she turned back to the insane vampire, an idea taking root in her head. Smiling softly at Drusilla, she said, "Maybe we could play a little game?"

The vampire's eyes lit up. "A game? I like games." Her head cocked to the left, then to the right, and Cordelia was reminded of a dog, or a bird, watching something intently. "Tell me about the game," Drusilla demanded. "Tell me, tell me!"

"Well," the seer shifted again, "it starts with you cutting my bounds." When she saw the vampire's eyes narrow, she added quickly, "Just the legs. You don't need to cut my arms free."

Again the head tilted, before Drusilla sighed, "Fine." She rose, and came over, a knife appearing seemingly out of nowhere in her hand. It hovered over the bounds for a moment then was pulled back, and a pout appeared on the vampire's pretty face, "No. I can't do that. Daddy would punish me."

Again Cordelia rolled her eyes, "You're a vampire for goodness' sake. Don't you guys love pain?"

"Yes," Drusilla replied with an excited gleam in her eyes, "but it isn't about pain." She closed her lids and started to purr, touching her breasts, her stomach. "If I'm a bad girl he won't look at me."

"Geez, leave it to me to be caught by a sexually deprived fiend," Cordelia muttered beneath her breath, then looked at Drusilla, but the vampire had already gotten up and was walking towards the entrance to the cave. "Hey, where are you going? You can't just leave me here." But Drusilla didn't listen, she had already disappeared out of sight. 

"Great," Cordy muttered. "Just the way I wanted to spend my evening." She perked up when she heard a noise from the outside, "That wasn't very long," she said, but it wasn't Drusilla who entered the cave carrying a familiar, but unfortunately very unconscious, blonde over her shoulder.

***

Dawn was on her feet the moment the doorbell rang. Not even glancing at the others she stormed into the hall, but her eyes almost bulged out of her head when she saw the person standing in front of the door. "A-angel?"

So this was the Slayer's little sister, Angelus thought, forcing a gentle smile on his features. Made from a blob of energy, she was smelling pretty human to him now. "Dawn," he greeted the girl. 

"Angel?" Willow had followed the teenager, and was now staring at the dark-haired vampire as well. "Is something wrong?"

"I need to talk to you," he said, looking at the redhead. "It's about Buffy."

"Buffy?" Alarm entered Dawn's eyes. "What's wrong with Buffy?"

"Nothing," Angelus said softly. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you. Buffy's fine. Well, at least I hope she is," he added slyly. 

"Angel?" Xander had followed the girls and was now looking. "What are you doing here?"

"He came because of Buffy," Willow explained. 

"Figures," Xander muttered. 

For a moment Angelus was tempted to just forget about his initial plan and rip the guy's throat out. The boy had bugged him long enough. Killing him would be a sweet experience. Maybe he could just take out the eyes and give them to Buffy as a present. He could already picture her screaming. He knew her screams, it was like a sweet song to his ears.

Angelus almost sighed loudly at the pure pleasure of the thought, but stifled the noise the very last moment. He could just kill them all, but it would hardly help his plan. "Yes, it's about Buffy," he confirmed with a smile. 

"Why don't you come in?" Willow offered, stepping back and putting a hand on Dawn's shoulder to pull her away from the door. 

Angelus could barely stop himself from rolling his eyes. These were the people in charge of the Hellmouth? Demons and vampires had to be very pathetic these days not to have managed to open it. He would've, if it hadn't been for Spike's intervention. He thought of the vampire's remains in the old house. The building would always remain a very fond memory.

Smiling at Willow, the vampire entered the house, giving Xander a false grin in passing. "Is Buffy out on patrol?" he asked, sniggering inwardly. If they knew where she was they would scream in horror. 

"Yes," Dawn confirmed. "But we're expecting her any moment now. Do you want something to drink?"

"No," he shook his head. Taking a cosy drink with a bunch of annoying kids was the last thing on his mind. He would rather bath in Holy Water. "Willow," he turned to the redhead, "we need to talk. Can we go somewhere … private?"

She raised a brow, "Can't we talk here. They'll hear it anyway if it's about the Hellmouth."

The vampire could smell her surprise, and knew he had to tread cautiously now, "This isn't exactly about the Hellmouth. It's more a …," he deliberately lowered his gaze, appearing to anyone as if he was terribly embarrassed. Inwardly he was laughing his ass off. "Private."

"Oh." He saw Willow blush, and barely stifled a triumphant shout. God, they were so gullible. How they had managed to survive for so long was beyond him. "Sure. Why … don't we go up in my room?"

"Yes, great," he agreed, already turning to the stairs.

"Why don't you make some tea?" he heard her tell her friends, before she followed him to her room.

***

The first thing Buffy became aware of was that she was standing upright, the next thing was that she couldn't move her hand or legs. Trying to, she heard a distinct noise that told her that she was held by chains. Damn. 

The last she remembered was facing Angelus before something hard had hit the back of her head and everything went black. 

She'd been facing Angelus? And something had hit the back of her head?

Instantly her eyes flew open, and she was greeted by dim lit surroundings.

"Nice to see you're awake."

Buffy's head snapped to the right, "Cordelia?"

"No, I'm the Saint of St. James. Yes, of course, I'm Cordelia. Even though tonight I wish I wasn't."

"What are you doing here?" Buffy blinked, trying to see the other woman in the semi-darkness. 

"Trying to stay optimistic despite the fact that the only one able to defeat Angelus is chained to a wall?" the seer snapped, then sighed. "Angel turned into Angelus thanks to a baby recently delivered by his very own sire. We didn't notice at first. Then he came back and brought Drusilla. He killed a good friend of mine, locked Fred and Wes in the basement and took me with him."

Fred? Darla? Buffy's head was spinning. "He … he told me about it. So it's true. Angel has a son? But he is a vampire!"

"Tell me about it," Cordelia snorted. "But the baby is here. And human."

"And he slept with Darla?" The Slayer couldn't keep the jealously from her voice. "Wait," she frowned. "Darla is dead. I saw it myself when Angel killed her."

"Geez, can't you just cut the jealous act for a moment? This is so not the time."

"I'm not-"

"Oh please," Cordelia interrupted her. "Jealousy is your middle name. Just because he left this wonderful little town of hopeless dreams, doesn't mean he's out of your head. Don't even try to deny it. You might fool people like little Willow, but not me. As for the baby. Darla was brought back by a bunch of evil lawyers. They used her to drive him insane. In the end he was walking on the edge and it ended with a little meaningless sex. He forgot about afterwards, but then Darla came back, ready to pop out the kid."

So he had slept with Darla and obviously not lost his soul. It was ridiculous, but Buffy couldn't help the silly grin spreading over her face.

Cordelia looked at her knowingly, "Oh yeah. No jealousy at all."

Annoyed with the other woman's insight, Buffy cleared her throat. "Okay, so the child was born and Angelus emerged?"

"Kind of, yeah." Cordelia answered. "We were too preoccupied with the baby to pay attention."

"Okay," Buffy nodded. "Fred? Who is Fred?"

"A girl we rescued from another dimension. She's special. And not really important at the moment. But I'm pretty sure she and Wesley are still alive."

"That's good," the Slayer commented. "You said Angel killed your friend."

"Yeah," Cordelia nodded sadly, blinking tears from her eyes. "His name was Charles Gunn. His sister was killed by vampires a few years ago. He was Angel's friend, too. He didn't deserve to die like this."

"Nobody does," Buffy said, trying to sort out the facts in her mind. So Angelus was back, and with him Dru. Damn. The insane vampire was certainly dangerous, and a force not to be ignored. 

"Angel will never forgive himself for it," the seer said. "It's going to kill him."

"I know," the Slayer replied, then frowned. "Where is Dru now?"

"She left a while ago," Cordelia told her. "With the other girl … uh … vampire."

"Another vampire?" Buffy asked.

"Yup. Never saw the girl before. Blond. Kind of boring, really."

"That is not a nice thing to say."

All hairs in Buffy's nape stood up straight at the sound of the voice coming from the entrance of the cage. "Oh my God," she exclaimed, honestly shocked. "Oh God."

"What?" Cordelia's eyes darted back and forth between Slayer and vampire. "Do you know her."

"I used to," Buffy replied, her voice holding tears. "She was a friend."

"What's her name?" the seer asked.

"Tara," Buffy answered. "Her name is Tara."

… to be continued

Still want more? Then tell me! Send feedback to Connemara.Scarlets@t-online.de or leave a review and thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4: Why Do Girls Fall In Love?

Sorry, this took me soooo long. But my computer had a wacky few weeks. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 4: Why Do Girls Fall In Love?  
  
"Tara?" Cordelia asked incredulous. "Willow's Tara?"  
  
"Willow's Tara. Pffft." Tara sighed loudly. "Seems I was never anything but. As if I'm an attachment or something." She turned to Buffy, "Can we stop talking about Willow now? She's so boring. So good. Although, lately she's been a very bad girl." A smile appeared on her lips, "Maybe we'll be friends after all. But then, been there, done that. So many beautiful women, so little time." She giggled, "Oooops . my bad. I have eternity now. And you .," she shook her head in mock sadness. "But we will have fun together until then." She giggled, "I know a lot games. Willow showed me some of them." Her voice dropped to a purr, "And some are my very own."  
  
"Forget it, bitch," Cordy snarled.  
  
"Ah .," Tara nodded knowingly. "This one has a temper." She walked over to the seer, leaned down and took a long sniff, laughing when Cordelia shivered in  
  
disgust. "I can smell your anger. And your fear," Tara whispered. Trailing her hand down the seer's front, she let it linger between Cordelia's breasts. "Such heat. Do you want me to touch you?"  
  
"Let her go," Buffy ordered, pulling at her chains. Unfortunately they didn't give an inch. Damn.  
  
"They're magically fastened," Tara said mildly, not taking her eyes off Cordy. "Save your strength for the Master."  
  
"Master?" This time it was the Slayer's term to ask in an incredulous voice. Figured. The guy had such an overgrown ego. It was hard to believe that Angel's demon could be someone like Angelus. On the other hand, maybe not. After all the things Buffy'd learned from Giles over the years, it somehow fit. "Did he turn you?"  
  
"No," Drusilla's voice came from the entrance, "I did. Daddy left her to me." She walked over to Tara, slung an arm around the other woman's waist and planted a kiss on Tara's cheek. "And now we're enjoying each other immensely."  
  
"God, this is a nightmare," Cordelia groaned.  
  
"Unfortunately not," Buffy muttered. "Seems a little too real to me. Why are you back?" she turned her head to Dru. "I thought when you left the last time it was for good."  
  
Drusilla shrugged, "Vampires aren't notoriously reliable."  
  
"So true," Cordy said dryly. "Wait a moment, she was here? When?"  
  
"About a year ago." Buffy rolled her eyes, "She came to get Spike back. You  
  
wouldn't believe what happened."  
  
"I believe a lot of things these days," the seer replied. "I get visions, did you know that?"  
  
"Visions?" The Slayer frowned, "Real visions?"  
  
"Hurts like hell. I always think my head's gonna blow off."  
  
"Sounds nasty," Buffy commented.  
  
"Bad girls, grrr," Drusilla interrupted the, snapping her fingers at the Slayer. "Don't talk as if we're not here."  
  
"We could never forget you, even if we tried," Buffy said, feeling for a moment as if she was stuck in a repeat performance, hanging in chains, facing Drusilla. Only Spike was missing, not that she was actually missing him. And talking about the bleached blond, "Angelus killed Spike."  
  
"He did?" The dark-haired vampire merely raised a brow. "Poor toothless Spike. Couldn't bite, couldn't kill. It was so sad." She stepped closer to the Slayer, "His heart stank of you. Naughty boy."  
  
"He made a nice pile of dust," Tara added, then sighed. "I'm sorry his body is gone, though. Lovely cheekbones."  
  
"Oh, please!" Cordelia rolled her eyes, then she blinked, "Wait a minute. I  
  
thought you were a lesbian?"  
  
Tara sighed again, "I am. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate beauty when it comes along."  
  
"Something's terribly askew with your taste, that's for certain," the seer replied. "Okay, so he might have cheekbones - if you care for such a thing. But he isn't . ah . wasn't the brightest of vampires around." She frowned, then  
  
added, "Seems to be some kind of pattern in Angelus' family, don't you think?"  
  
She looked at Buffy who bit her lips to stop a grin from forming on her face. She had the feeling that Druilla wasn't quite able to follow the discussion, but she didn't like the expression in Tara's eyes. The vampire was getting angrier by the second. Obviously Angelus had instructed them not to harm their captives, but as Drusilla had pointed out before. Vampires weren't notoriously reliable. "So," she looked at the former lover of her best friend. "Where did your Master go?"  
  
"He went to bring us a present," Drusilla said excitedly, a bright smile on her face.  
  
"A present we can play with," Tara added with glee, rubbing her hands.  
  
From the expression in the blond vampire's eyes, Buffy knew it could only mean one thing. Angelus had gone to get her best friend. If he succeeded the last one who could help them in their situation would be gone.  
  
***  
  
"Wesley?"  
  
The former watcher stopped in the process of searching for the light switch, and looked in the general direction of the voice, "Yes?"  
  
"I still can't believe Angel killed Charles." A sob followed the statement and Wesley's heart constricted. He felt for the young woman who had been through so much these past months, hell, the past five years. Transported to Pylea, damned to serve the native demons, she was now back on earth. A planet, a life, that was completely foreign to her. And now the one constant, the one person, she'd trusted without reservation, had turned against her.  
  
No, it wasn't true, Wesley reminded himself firmly. Angel had not turned against them. Angel wasn't here. It was the demon in his body, and he'd better keep that in mind. It wouldn't help mixing the two of them up. Continuing his search, he replied, "Angel didn't kill Gunn, Fred. It was Angelus. They're not the same."  
  
"I . I know," she said, her voice hoarse. "B-but he looked like Angel. Where is Angel?"  
  
"His soul," Wesley answered, "is .," he sighed. "I wish I knew. Somewhere in the ether I assume. But we can't say for sure. We also don't know if we can return it to his body." This was one of his greatest fears. That there would be no way to restore Angel's soul. True, Willow had done it before, and as far as the former watcher knew, the reason for losing it was Angel's contact with his son, but that didn't mean that restoring it would be as easy as it had been the first time. And then there was the problem of a new loss. The baby - if he was still alive, and Wesley prayed he was, because he had no idea how Angel would deal with the knowledge that he killed his own son - would be a constant in the vampire's life, and therefore a permanent risk to Angel's soul.  
  
"Why didn't he kill us?"  
  
"I don't know," Wesley replied honestly. Why hadn't Angelus killed them, he  
  
wondered. It would've been so easy. But he'd only thrown them into the basement and locked the door. Why? Was it some kind of sick game? Or were they here for a reason? Had the now soulless vampire plans that included a watcher and the frightened young woman with him? Not very likely. And certainly not if Wesley could help it. "But we shouldn't question it, Fred. We should be glad we're still alive. And if I'm ever going to find that bloody light - ah!"  
  
His fingers suddenly touching the object of desire, he flipped it over and blinked rapidly against the uncommon brightness surrounding him now. He saw Fred sitting in a corner, huddled against the wall, her knees drawn to her body, which was shivering even though the basement wasn't exactly cold. "Fred," he said  
  
softly, "can you stand up and come over here?"  
  
Slowly lifting her head from her upraised knees, she looked at him for a long moment before she nodded, "S-sure." She came to her feet cautiously as if she were expecting the worst, then quickly walked to his side, gazing at him expectantly.  
  
"We should try to open the door."  
  
Her eyes widened with fear, "W-what if .," she whispered, "he's still out there?"  
  
"I don't think so." Wesley forced a smile on his face, "I think they're long gone."  
  
"You think?" Fred asked. "What's he going to do?"  
  
"I'm not sure," he told her, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. "But I would bet the hotel that whatever his plans are, Sunnydale and a certain blond Slayer are part of it." He gave Fred another encouraging look, "We need to get the door opened. And we need a phone. If we can warn them, they might stand a chance. If not ." He trailed off, not able to finish aloud what his mind could hardly process.  
  
"If not?" Fred stared at him with big eyes.  
  
"If not," he sighed. "Then only a miracle can help us."  
  
***  
  
"Hey," Jonathon exclaimed as Warren pushed him roughly away from the surveillance equipment that was connected to the camera they'd installed in front of Buffy Summers' house. "It was my turn to watch them," he complained in a whiny voice. "You're not fair."  
  
"Warren is the best. He's the leader. He doesn't have to be fair," Andrew said, and beamed when his words were rewarded with an approving look from his idol. Warren was just so cool. Smart and strong. All the tings Andrew had never been.  
  
"What's going on?" Warren wanted to know, not looking at any of his companions.  
  
"Nothing," Jonathon replied, clearly annoyed with the other man's behaviour. Okay, so Warren had been the one with the ideas lately, but did that make him the leader? And why did they need a leader in the first place? And if they needed one, who said it had to be Warren? "Someone came. A man. Looked kind of familiar." He frowned. He had seen the dark, tall stranger before. But where?  
  
"And why wasn't I informed?" Warren's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.  
  
Jonathon barely kept himself from sticking out his tongue at the other man.  
  
"Because it was nothing special. They talked, then he went in. End of story."  
  
"End of story, huh?" Warren moved away from the surveillance equipment and stretched. "Do you have him on tape?"  
  
"Sure," Jonathan pointed at the tape in the corner.  
  
"We need to find out who he is. We can't have a player in town who could mess with our plans," Warren said and shoved the tape into the VCR, then watched as the images flickered on the screen. When the stranger came into view he smiled.  
  
***  
  
Willow looked at Angel the moment she closed the door behind her. "It's been a while," she said, smiling slightly. "That we met, I mean," she added.  
  
"Yes," Angelus agreed, returning her smile. "Not since," he let his voice drop to an anguished whisper, "Buffy." He'd heard that kind of voice often enough from the ensouled version to know how it sounded. God, this was fun. He'd always tried to tell the ones he'd made, that part of the kill was the fun, the art of playing with humans. Only a very few had understood. It was a pity.  
  
"Yes," she replied, reaching out and touching his arm. "But fortunately it's all better now."  
  
He nodded, "Yes, she told me you brought her back." At her surprised look, he explained, "When we met."  
  
"Yes, yes, of course." Looking at him for a moment, she finally asked, "So, why did you come? You said it was because of Buffy."  
  
"Yes, Buffy," he said, turning towards the window, gazing into the night. Humans were often afraid of the darkness. He bit back a smile. They had reason to.  
  
Seeing a piece of lingerie lying on the bed, he walked over and picked it up. "Yours?" he asked without turning.  
  
"N-no," Willow's voice showed her confusion. He could also her hear her heart-rate picking up speed. Fear. Soon he would be able to smell it, too. It was the sweetest deodorant.  
  
He turned and found her frowning. "Nice. Your girlfriend's then."  
  
The redhead nodded, her frown intensifying. Angelus snickered inwardly. Oh, how he loved the game. He'd developed it to an art, and he was its master. "Tara," he let the name roll from his tongue, savouring it. God, the girl had been sweet. And so terrified. He could still smell her fear, could still see the horror in her eyes, knowing that she was not just going to die, but that she would arise. Catching himself, he added, "Buffy said her name was Tara."  
  
"Yes," Willow's voice was stronger now. "And it would prefer if you put that down. Angel?" She tilted her head, "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," he told her, throwing the bra on the bed. "In fact," he gave her his best, brightest smile, "I've never been better." It was time to drop the act. Playing was nice, but he had better things to do. And he could hardly wait to watch Willow meeting her lover again. It would be a reunion to savour.  
  
"A-angel?" She took a step back, hitting the door, her fingers reaching for the knob.  
  
"Nope," he said casually, and was at her side in an instant. His mouth close to her ear, he whispered, "Fooled you, didn't I?"  
  
Her face crunching with fear and horror, Willow stared at him. "Oh God."  
  
"Does it feel familiar?" He asked, referring to the one time at Sunnydale High when he'd held her like this, her neck at his mercy. He should've killed her then. But he hadn't, and as a result she had restored his soul. Well, she would pay for it. He would make sure, and then she would help him to achieve what he'd come for.  
  
Suddenly he saw her eyes darkening, and warned, "Don't. I heard your magic improved. You brought Buffy back after all. But don't even try it. Or your girlfriend won't see the sun rise."  
  
Instantly her eyes were back to normal, and darting around wildly, "Tara? Oh God, what have you done to her?"  
  
"Nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but she's still .," he paused, then went on, "talking and walking. It could be over soon, though, if you refuse to help me."  
  
Terrified for her lover's safety, she nodded, "I- I'll help you. I promise. But please don't kill her."  
  
"I won't," he promised, and with amusement realized that he didn't even need to lie. He wouldn't kill Tara. Didn't need to. Not anymore. He grinned, enjoying himself tremendously, "I promise." he whispered in her ear.  
  
She clearly didn't believe him, but seemed to surrender - for the sake of her lover. It really paid to plan ahead, to have a strategy. Unfortunately he'd never been able to make Spike see the necessity. The blond vampire had always just barged in, relying on his strength. The pile of dust in the old house was proof enough which way was the most successful.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked.  
  
"Through the window," he replied, then pulled her with him.  
  
"I . I can't climb down. I'm not a Slayer." Her voice quivered slightly, but she looked him straight in the eye. She had guts, he'd have to give her that. Unfortunately for her, he did give a damn.  
  
"You don't have to," he said, picking her up and holding her out of the window. "Catch!" he ordered, and Willow found herself flying through the air, then caught by a pair of strong arms. When she turned her head, prolonged teeth were smiling at her while amber eyes gleamed in the moonlight.  
  
Like an overgrown cat, Angelus landed noiselessly beside them, and the two vampires started walking, the one who had caught her still carrying her effortlessly in his arms. "Hi," she said, feeling stupid. But it was still better than thinking of Tara and what might have happened to her. Maybe the vampire was up for a little conversation. "I'm Willow."  
  
The vampire grinned at her, his bottomless eyes amused, "Hi," he replied. "I'm Charles. Charles Gunn. Nice to meet you."  
  
. to be continued 


End file.
